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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · field · cold · mark · leaves · nail · pound · stock

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. mark — a grade
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. field — farmland
  12. toast — bread
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. mark — a trace
  18. pound — a weight
  19. field — for sport
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com